On Writing Fiction

I'm still trying to write a page a day, and I'm doing it. It is more painful these days because I don't know where this one should end. For every other story I've put together so far this year for my fiction a day piece, I've known where I wanted to start and what I wanted at the end. I reworked one story because I ended up disliking the end. Then I disliked the second ending too. It just was a crappy story, all told.

But, I'm really at a loss for this story. I haven't written sword and sorcery fantasy in a long time, so I just feel like I'm losing my grip on how this world works. It's really slow and really painful to write. Which brings me back to a point I've hammered home probably a dozen times now: Do your pre-writing. Make your outlines. It will make your life easier.

Right now, I have a vague idea on what to write. I know where the story should go. But all my stories are ending rather depressingly lately. Well, OK. Across the Gap ends positively, what with the little brother living, but it's kind of a neutral ending. Maybe after this story, I should write an unambiguously happy story. Maybe call it Rainbows and Sunshine: A New Day.

As always, writing is better than not writing. Even if you are writing crap, which most of what anyone writes is. That's why you have editors. Oh well, back to writing crap.